Bonus video! James Dean + Vampira, Jim Backus' Delicious masterpiece, and a Cup of Urine

delicious should be part of the outro

About 30 years back my friend Bart was living/working in L.A. and hosting Thanksgiving for several friends. One of his guests called and asked if he could bring a plus-one...an older lady in his building with no place to go that day and of course Bart said yes. The lady turned out to be Maila Nurmi and Bart (who was a HUGE B-movie buff) has never gotten over the day Vampira complimented his chocolate cake and had seconds.

Finished watching the rebel without a cause video loved all the subtle gay moments you pointed out. James Dean was definitely such a legend even if he only made 3 movies.

I thought the name "Mort Garson" sounded familiar and after hearing it a few times I realized why...one of his songs was used as the main theme for the first arc of The Adventure Zone!

Hey Matt I can’t wait for this! I’m curious, in your research on Dean, did you ever reach out to a guy named David Loehr? He has one of the largest collections of JD memorabilia in the world, and knows many of his family/friends. I met him in the 80’s as a teen James Dean freak, and stayed with him at his loft in NYC. He’s a well of knowledge when it comes to Jimmy. https://www.facebook.com/david.loehr.16?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Approx 1977/78 A friend's boyfriend was a horn player/jazz, and he would play at Skip E. Lowes' lounge act (like a blue Ed Sullivan for singers and musicians) at the Continental Hyatt House on the Sunset Strip. I remember being in the audience once when a guy walked in with his hands in his pants pockets. Quickly Skip stopped his schtick and loudly said, "Take your hands out of your pockets. I supply the entertainment here." I have never forgotten that line, nor the intensity and humor in his voice.

Another great video. Thanks, Matt. I'm not sure if you've recorded your Dean video yet, but I wanted to let you know that Jim's last name is pronounced "Backus" (like the backstroke), not "Bacchus" (like the god of revelry). If you haven't seen it, there's an interview on YouTube where he talks about Rebel. He and his wife Henny were known for their Hollywood parties and they also wrote some humorous books together (What Are You Doing After the Orgy?), including one about his long battle with Parkinson's (Backus Fights Back). After his death, she wrote a book about how she took care of him to help others going through a similar ordeal. Backus was known for his ad-libbed mutterings in both the Magoo cartoons and the Gilligan's Island series. Some, the producers cut out because they were a bit too dirty, while others were kept in and are really fun to listen for. They were beloved in Hollywood and he was known for being professional, cheap (forgetting his wallet at lunch), and for always keeping the cast and crew laughing on a set.

I would absolutely love a bonus video on Elvira. I was very obsessed with her when I was younger. Thank you so much for all these videos!

When I was a kid, Jim Backus was known for being the husband on the sitcom, I Married Joan, starring Joan Davis. Of course, he was great as the drunk airplane pilot in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

I listened until the cup story. Ick. Otherwise, delightful. Thanks!

Isn't there a low-quality photo of James Dean gooning with the wind? He's in a tree iirc.